Thursday, August 19, 2004 Espinoza: No choice but to bite the bullet By Elias L. Espinoza
PAY. Now that the Cebu Provincial Government is under a new leadership, the Commission on Audit (COA) directed the former provincial officials, which include some reelected board members, to refund P5 million that was released to the controversial Perdido Lex Foundation.
The COA directive will again rekindle the Perdido Lex issue that many considered was the cause of former vice governor John-john Osmeña’s downfall in his bid for the gubernatorial post in the last May 10 elections.
Osmeña and his staff were solely blamed for the Perdido Lex mess. It turned out, though, from the COA directive that everyone in the previous term, including former governor Pablo Garcia, is liable to refund the amount.
Gov. Gwen Garcia, who was then consultant to her father Pabling, appears spared from the COA order. At the start of the Perdido Lex controversy, however, the governor was also partly blamed for the mess.
There were even rumors that part of the P5 million money released to Perdido Lex came from the governor’s discretionary funds since the vice governor’s discretionary fund was only limited to P2 million.
With the COA directive, expect the involved members of the Provincial Board to be pinpointing the liability to the person responsible. As to finding who is really responsible for this mess, depends on the whip of the lady governor.
TRULY. It was in March 2003 when Smart Communications launched its Smart Amazing cell phone. My law partners, Attys. Ed Gica and Boy Tan, broke the news and asked me to join them at SM where the launching and demonstration was held.
I did not have the inkling that I would get one because of budget constraints. It’s kind of funny though that my partners did not subscribe while I did after Marilou gave me the green light.
But, anyway, my Smart Amazing cellphone did well for the past 12 months, the warranty period. After 12 months of using it, however, the problems, like, hang-ups and wrong dates, started to surface.
I was lucky, though, that Mrs. Abeth Abella, Smart’s manager at E-Mall, and her staff were so accommodating despite their busy schedules. Despite the help I got, the problems with my unit still persisted.
On July 9, 2004, upon the suggestion of Mrs. Abella, I brought my Smart Amazing phone to their office for further checkup by its service center.
It has been more than a month that I have not enjoyed the use of this facility, which I am paying the monthly subscribed rate of P1,335. There were times though that I pay more than P2,000 depending on my use.
The 12-month subscription period is for the Amazing phone. I believe that since I did not enjoy the beneficial use of this truly Amazing phone, I should be entitled to a rebate, right?
I know it is a long shot to ask it from a capitalist, like, Smart Telecommunications. Consider, however, that telecom companies are quick to threaten its subscribers of disconnection for delayed payments. Simply unfair.
Besides, I could not put the blame on Mrs. Abella and her staff who have done their best to please their clients. My grapevine told me that our Asian neighbor manufactured this unit, hence, it is not surprising if it works below par.
My subscription is for 24 months. Meaning, after 24 months, this Amazing phone will already be mine. However, how can I enjoy using it after 24 months when even after the 12-month warranty period, the unit no longer works its desired functions.
As the Cebuano saying goes: “Suntok na lang ta sa hangin.” With new models of cellphones from different manufacturers coming out almost every month, this Amazing phone will just be another obsolete contraption after two years.
The answer, of course, is to stop subscribing. However, our desire for convenience makes it difficult for us to shake off the habit, which these telecommunication companies have taken advantage of. So, subscribers will just have to bite the bullet.
TOCA. The awarding of the 5th Ten Outstanding Cebuano Award (TOCA) is on Saturday. This will highlight the 22nd anniversary celebration of Engr. Greg Senining’s Tingog sa Lungsod radio program at dyRF.
Among the TOCA awardees in the field of medicine is my niece, Dr. Annette L. Salillas. She is a cytopathologist, who introduced and advocates “Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy” (FNAB).
Dr. Salillas has done several research works and written case reports pertaining to her field of specialization. She is the first Filipino to make a contribution to the field of cytology.
Her latest case report was “Primary Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of the Thyroid Gland: Diagnosed by Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy” which she presented during the XV International Cytology Congress in Chile last April.
Dr. Sallilas, daughter of Dr. Nene Laurente-Sallilas, who placed fifth in the National Dental Board examination, finished her degree in medicine at Southwestern University as a consistent scholar. Congratulations!
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